Jewish Women International (JWI) the leading Jewish organization working to end gender-based violence, expresses both alarm and deep disappointment in the Attorney General’s decision in Matter of A-B-.

The Attorney General’s decision strikes at the heart of longstanding protections for domestic violence survivors and others who look to the United States for protection and refuge. This decision undermines decades of progress toward human rights policies that recognize the unique vulnerabilities of women and children who have experienced the trauma of violence and need secure immigration status to access safety. By declaring that the lack of state intervention in domestic violence in other countries cannot be the sole basis for asylum in the U.S., the Attorney General is instituting a policy that will block vulnerable people from obtaining refuge in the United States, condemning domestic violence victims to deportation back to dangerous situations where they could very well lose their lives.

Lori Weinstein, CEO, made the following statement:

“The Attorney General’s decision yesterday is an affront to the moral and ethical values we hold as Americans. The U.S. government should be protecting the most vulnerable among us, not turning away victims of domestic violence at the border to return home to dangerous, even deadly situations. Survivors of domestic violence who left their entire lives behind to seek asylum should be granted an opportunity to make their case in court. JWI calls on Congress to preserve and defend provisions in our asylum laws that enable immigrant victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to seek life-saving refuge and protection when their countries’ officials fail to protect them from targeted violence. The decision must be immediately reversed.”